Review – Now You See Me

Now You See Me looks pretty intriguing as far as popcorn-munchers go. It’s a procedural thriller with a heavy dose of spectacle, a bankable cast, a dash of mysticism, and a solid case of the smarts. And it features Jesse Eisenberg’s most visible performance since he was Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network (a role he just about reprises, with all the brooding intent and fast-talking). Beneath the flash and the plot twists, there might not be much for audiences to chew on, but that’s probably for the best.

This is an entertaining movie, and it manages to stay on the tracks mostly because it isn’t too concerned with high concept story-telling. There are no outstanding performances here, but no one’s phoning it in either. Relative unknown Dave Franco seems to be working hardest in this film – he gets the central action piece, and does a solid job of it. But neither Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Mélanie Laurent or Woody Harrelson do a lot to deliver a stand-out performance.

My biggest complaint is that the spectacle can be a little ho hum at times. The nub of a good magic trick is that you should never be able to tell how it was done, and films about magic usually employ a bit of artifice to maintain that sense of mystery. No such luck here. In a scene you can find in the trailers, Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) is suspended above an audience inside a giant CGI bubble. On the big screen, it’s painfully obvious that the effect was rendered in post-production, and it robs the moment of any wonder. It’s not enough to sink the film, but it does rob it of any lasting impact.

 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaavRAV8a0A&w=400]